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Thought I would start a thread witha brief review regarding this area as there have been no mention of starwood properties in this area. Furthermore I had just came back from hotel hoppings in the nearby DC area over the Memorial Day weekend.
Westin Alexandria
Located in the quaint old town of Alexandria which is about 7 miles from the center of washington dc and on the banks of the Potomac river. The whole area consists of recently restored shophouses of the 18th-19th century and is a pretty new development. Most people would go there to escape the hustle and bustle of washington dc to relax and chill out. Hence it is pretty vibrant in the nights and on the weekends where families would go to the town and stroll by the river.
The property is pretty new as they opened in late 2007. On checking in, was upgraded to a executive junior suite on the club floor. The property only had two suites on each floor with a total of 6 floors. The suite was more of a junior suite style and one of the smaller ones I have seen so far and had the same contempory chic styling of the recent Westin designs where the furniture were mostly all dark cherry wood colour. Toilet was pretty small too for a suite standard. Generally, they were well maintained and very clean. Wifi was comp for SPG members. Club floor was open on weekends, which is pretty rare in the states nowadays.
Westin DC City Center
Most convenient of the lot as it is located in the middle of the dc area and it was bested only by the St Regis(in terms of location) which is slightly closer to the metro and the attractions. Property completed its renovations in late 2007 and thus is still in a really good shape. Similar styling concept for the rooms as in the Westin Alexandria which I come to notice is prevalent in the newer Westins. Property was sold out due to the holiday and as I checked in pretty late, I didn't had much choice left and was upgraded to a deluxe corner room on the SPG floor. The director of rooms checked me in at the counter and I had a pretty nice chat with her. She wanted to get someone to escort me up to the room and show me around but I politely declined it as I could tell that they were pretty busy. Talk about service
. The corner room is pretty big and is located next to the Presidential suite. It is similar in size to the suite in the Westin Alexandria but the toilet was much larger. There is no club floor for this property. On the whole, service was great at the property and I would stay there in future if I did not have to do hotel hoppings for the SPG promotion.
Westin National Harbour
Newest of all the Westins in the dc area as it opened in late 2008. It is located in a new waterfront development called the National Harbour which is on the opposite bank of the Potomac River from the Westin Alexandria. Did not take the room upgrade as I wasn't staying for the night on my last day in dc. Rooms were like almost new and can't comment on anything else as I was there for a short time only. My room had a pretty nice view of the river and the marina though.
Conclusion
In general, the Westins mentioned above were pretty good value for money as I paid an average of 90 bucks per night over the weekend. For convenience, I would say go for the Westin DC city area. But if you want somewhere more laid back, quieter and closer to nature, go for the other two Westins.
Sidenote
I did pay a visit to the the nearby St Regis which opened in late 2008. The lobby was pretty impressive and nicely decorated. There was a doorman to open the door and was greeted as I entered the property, nothing less that you would expect from a St Regis. It was pretty busy for a St Regis as you do not usually encounter so many people in the lobby. Probably due to the heavily discounted rate which they had over the weekend(Rooms were going for 230 a night over the holiday, rather than the usual 350 bucks). Might give it a try next time.
There's also a new W hotel opening next month in the area which will make it the nearest Starwood property to the White House and all the parks cum memorials located south-west of the White House in terms of walking distance. It is slightly further to a metro station then the St Regis though.
Westin Alexandria
Located in the quaint old town of Alexandria which is about 7 miles from the center of washington dc and on the banks of the Potomac river. The whole area consists of recently restored shophouses of the 18th-19th century and is a pretty new development. Most people would go there to escape the hustle and bustle of washington dc to relax and chill out. Hence it is pretty vibrant in the nights and on the weekends where families would go to the town and stroll by the river.
The property is pretty new as they opened in late 2007. On checking in, was upgraded to a executive junior suite on the club floor. The property only had two suites on each floor with a total of 6 floors. The suite was more of a junior suite style and one of the smaller ones I have seen so far and had the same contempory chic styling of the recent Westin designs where the furniture were mostly all dark cherry wood colour. Toilet was pretty small too for a suite standard. Generally, they were well maintained and very clean. Wifi was comp for SPG members. Club floor was open on weekends, which is pretty rare in the states nowadays.
Westin DC City Center
Most convenient of the lot as it is located in the middle of the dc area and it was bested only by the St Regis(in terms of location) which is slightly closer to the metro and the attractions. Property completed its renovations in late 2007 and thus is still in a really good shape. Similar styling concept for the rooms as in the Westin Alexandria which I come to notice is prevalent in the newer Westins. Property was sold out due to the holiday and as I checked in pretty late, I didn't had much choice left and was upgraded to a deluxe corner room on the SPG floor. The director of rooms checked me in at the counter and I had a pretty nice chat with her. She wanted to get someone to escort me up to the room and show me around but I politely declined it as I could tell that they were pretty busy. Talk about service
. The corner room is pretty big and is located next to the Presidential suite. It is similar in size to the suite in the Westin Alexandria but the toilet was much larger. There is no club floor for this property. On the whole, service was great at the property and I would stay there in future if I did not have to do hotel hoppings for the SPG promotion.Westin National Harbour
Newest of all the Westins in the dc area as it opened in late 2008. It is located in a new waterfront development called the National Harbour which is on the opposite bank of the Potomac River from the Westin Alexandria. Did not take the room upgrade as I wasn't staying for the night on my last day in dc. Rooms were like almost new and can't comment on anything else as I was there for a short time only. My room had a pretty nice view of the river and the marina though.
Conclusion
In general, the Westins mentioned above were pretty good value for money as I paid an average of 90 bucks per night over the weekend. For convenience, I would say go for the Westin DC city area. But if you want somewhere more laid back, quieter and closer to nature, go for the other two Westins.
Sidenote
I did pay a visit to the the nearby St Regis which opened in late 2008. The lobby was pretty impressive and nicely decorated. There was a doorman to open the door and was greeted as I entered the property, nothing less that you would expect from a St Regis. It was pretty busy for a St Regis as you do not usually encounter so many people in the lobby. Probably due to the heavily discounted rate which they had over the weekend(Rooms were going for 230 a night over the holiday, rather than the usual 350 bucks). Might give it a try next time.
There's also a new W hotel opening next month in the area which will make it the nearest Starwood property to the White House and all the parks cum memorials located south-west of the White House in terms of walking distance. It is slightly further to a metro station then the St Regis though.
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